Housing Services Office

Prior to seeking off-post housing, U.S. military and civilian personnel regardless of service or command must in-process through the Housing Services Office within two business days of arriving in the Benelux.

Incoming personnel are advised to coordinate with their sponsor with ensuring this requirement is met. The sponsor should schedule an appointment with the Housing Services Office prior to the incoming personnel's arrival to the country.

To complete the housing application process, personnel will be required to provide copies of their orders, verification of date of departure from last permanent duty station and verification of dependents that traveled OCONUS with the sponsor.

Homes already approved by the Housing Office are listed on Homes.mil.

Per the U.S. Army regulation, residents can have up to two pets (dog or cat only) per home. Animals over 75 pounds are not allowed. Certain dog breeds such as American Stafford Bull Terriers or English Stafford Bull Terriers, Rottweilers, Doberman Pinchers, Wolf hybrids or a mix thereof are not allowed in Family Housing. According to Belgian law, all pets need to be micro-chipped, by a veterinarian, and registered.  

Local communes have the right to not allow certain breeds.

 Pet owners must obtain liability insurance for their  pets.

• Assistance in locating a home through HSO listings, newspaper advertisements, real estate agencies or online listings
• Listing of private rental housing with non-discriminatory landlords
• Assistance with rental negotiations and lease renewals
• Lease agreements in English and the country of assignment's national language
• Language interpretation and translation when dealing with the landlord
• Administrative assistance when dealing with utility companies and translating bills
• Inspection (Move-in, Pre and Final Out inspections) reports of the premises with tenant and/or landlord
• Assistance in resolving minor tenant and landlord complaints
• Overseas Housing Briefing to explain the process of renting a house or apartment in Belgium, the utility companies and house hunting
• General information on military and civilian housing allowances

• Legal Assistance: Your servicing legal assistance office can provide you legal assistance and advise you on civil matter pertaining to Belgian Rental Law. Please talk to the Legal Services Office at your location for assistance.
• Settling Disputes: The HSO has no legal capability to commit either a landlord or a tenant in settling disputes. However, the HSO staff will mediate disputes through the negotiation process. If both parties cannot agree, the case will be referred to the Legal Services Office.
• Financial Transactions: Under no circumstances will the HSO staff handle any monetary transactions for the tenant or the landlord. All financial transactions are the responsibility of the tenant and/or the landlord and will occur off US Government property. The HSO staff will not take possession of a rental property for a tenant or a landlord.
• Entitlements: HSO staff will provide you with a current copy of Overseas Housing Allowances (OHA) or Living Quarters Allowance (LQA) as a general guideline. Eligible personnel are encouraged to contact their finance serving office or the Civilian Personnel Advisory Center (CPAC) as the best source of information.

Temporary Lodging Allowance (TLA)

TLA is an allowance to partially defray costs of living in transient quarters during PCS. Service members who have been issued a CNA must aggressively seek private rental housing. Service members should not rely solely on the HSO to meet this requirement. Failure to aggressively seek private rental housing together with your HSO counselor on a daily basis will result in the immediate termination of your TLA. The following reasons ARE NOT grounds for refusal of an adequate private rental and will force the HSO to stop your TLA:

• Too far from duty station and/or community activities
• Lack of transportation (public or private)
• Personal property will not fit into the dwelling unit
• Spouse does not like dwelling unit or its location
• Stairs in lieu of elevator (this may be waived if registered in the Exceptional Family Member Program)
• Not near enough to medical facilities (this may be waived if registered in the Exceptional Family Member Program
• Pets not allowed
• Requirements by military unit of assignment

Learn more information on TLA.

Overseas Housing Allowance (OHA)

OHA is paid in lieu of Basic Allowance for Housing (BHA at CONUS) locations for service members authorized to reside in economy housing. OHA is a cost reimbursement based on allowance and defrays the service members housing cost. Failure to process the request through the USAG Benelux HSO will result in non-payment of OHA. Contact your servicing finance office for additional information. OHA includes the following three components: rent, utility/recurring maintenance expenses and move-in housing allowance (MIHA).

The amount of OHA payable is based on the member’s reported rent amount, up to the locality OHA rental allowance plan, and the appropriate utility amount based on the member’s status.

Learn more information on OHA.

Living Quarters Allowance (LQA)

LQA Living Quarter Allowance (LQA) amounts by country and city are located at:

• Belgium
• Germany
• The Netherlands

Reimbursement of living quarters allowance will not exceed the authorized annual cost of rent and utilities or the maximum allowance rate set by the Department of State, whichever is the lesser amount. Defense Finance and Accounting Services (DFAS) uses the employee’s authorized foreign currency expenses to convert the amount to US dollars using the exchange rate provided by their office. DFAS also automatically adjusts LQA payments each period when changes occur in Department of State maximum rates or foreign currency conversion rates. DFAS makes LQA allowance payment to the employee in U.S. dollars.

LQA Allowable Cost includes basic rent, electricity, fuel for heating & cooking, water, sewage, garbage and trash disposal taxes and fire insurance.

As-Needed Utility Costs: There are some utility costs that occur on an as-needed basis; these include items such as heating oil, gas (propane/butane), wood. These items are purchased “as needed” by the employee. The employee must then submit a claim for reimbursement. These claims may be submitted in conjunction with LQA reconciliation request, or if the reconciliation has been completed, they may be submitted as they occur. The employee can also choose to retain the receipts and submit a single request for reimbursement.

Items that are NOT LQA Allowable Cost:

• Agent fees except mandatory by law or custom and if lessee’s payment of fee is a condition of obtaining the lease.
• Concierge or notary fees
• Telephone installation or maintenance
• Servant’s wages or maintenance
• Tips
• Cleaning or redecorating
• Storage
• Garden or lawn service
• Renovation fee
• Central heating and cooling system inspections, safety inspection and related cleaning

Temporary Quarters Subsistence Allowance (TQSA)

TQSA is authorized for employees hired from CONUS who are eligible for living quarters allowance to help offset the expenses of temporary lodging, meals, and laundry expenses for up to 90 days upon arrival. TQSA is paid at the new overseas duty location only. During in-processing at the new duty station, the CPAC will provide the appropriate forms that need to be completed for TQSA.